All the Best Things in Life Are
by Ava Miranda Dakedavra
Summary: Hermione Granger starts her new life after the war working as a secretary for the Ministry. But she finds herself in much more trouble than she asked for when her new boss is none other than Draco Malfoy.
1. Prologue

The tangled brown mane was just peeking out from underneath the comforter. To anybody just glancing in, it would've looked like another cat to accompany the one already slipping into the room. But her mother knew better and watched as the red cat sat right on top of her daughter's head.

"Wha - ? Oh, Crookshanks, go back to bed," she heard her mumble. "Mum won't be here until nine."

"Fix your clock, Love, it's nine o' five," the mother smiled as Hermione shot up, Crookshanks flying off a second before it was too late.

"Mum! Wha - ? Nine o' five?" a hand went up to bury itself in her nest of hair.

"Yes," Olivia Granger smiled as she walked towards her only daughter, "Are you ready?"

"No," she lowered herself back into bed, "No I am not. Five more minutes."

"Nope!" Olivia chirped, "Time to get ready for your first day at work!"

"Mum, that only works with school," Hermione muttered before getting up to stretch.

"Got you up, though!" she sang as another girl came in. She had bright red hair and numerous freckles on her face, a suspicious looking black bag in her hand.

"Mione!" she sang, holding the bag up for her to see, "Lookie! I get to help your mum torture you!"

Hermione paled a little before turning to her other, who was going through her closet, "Mum! Ginny? Why?"

Ginny huffed, "Because _I_ am your best friend, Miss Granger."

"I don't remember saying that."

"It was _implied_," she said with a slight glare, which Hermione grinned back at.

"Hermione Jean Granger," her mother said, "Get dressed right now! You're going to run late!" Her mother had laid out a black knee-length skirt and a white blouse, along with shiny black heels. Hermione smiled as she took the items and went into the bathroom to shower and change. Once she did change, however, she found that the clothes were tighter than they had been in the store. And she'd just bought them the other day.

"Ginny!" she yelled, making the redhead snicker.

Hermione walked into her room only to be pushed to sit down on the bed. The black bag had contained make-up and some magical hair gel. She sighed as she let Ginny and her mother do their work. Ginny was trying to duplicate the hairstyle she had worn to the Yule Ball while Olivia was doing her make-up.

When they were done, Ginny had successfully done Hermione's hair and Olivia had given her daughter a natural appearance.

"Go get 'em, Mione!" Ginny said as she hugged her, being careful not to mess up her appearance.

"Good luck at the Ministry," Olivia smiled before hugging her daughter as well, "I know you'll be great."

* * *

><p>"You need to quit scaring secretaries away," Blaise Zabini frowned at his friend, "I mean, seriously mate, you frighten them."<p>

Draco shrugged as he leaned against Blaise's desk, Luna Lovegood dancing in and handing some papers to Blaise.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Blaise, Draco," Luna frowned at a paper before handing it to him with a shrug, "You're terrifying to some people."

"Why not you?" Draco asked.

"Because I know that you're all hiss and no bite," she smiled dreamily before walking past him to her own desk.

"Weirdo," Draco , muttered before noticing Blaise's glare, "Oh, right, sorry, you fancy her."

"Go to your own office," was all Blaise said before Luna shut the door violently, looking a little shaken. "Luna, what's wrong?"

"Draco, don't go out there," Luna said, blocking the door.

"What? Lovegood, I have to go," Draco told her, "My secretary is coming, or have you forgotten?"

"No, but, I – it's," her silver-blue eyes shifted from him to Blaise, "Oh fine. But I warned you!"

Draco started to the door but faltered, looking at Luna a little nervously, "Err…Luna? Who's out there?"

"You wouldn't believe me."

He looked over at Blaise, who shrugged, and then turned to Luna again, "Try me."

All she did was open the door and motion to leave, looking a little sad. He walked out of Blaise's office, both Luna and a curious Blaise following him.

"Holy crap, no way," Blaise gasped quietly as Draco blinked.

"There is no way…" he started to himself before turning to the others, "That _can't_ be her. She looks too nice."

Luna shot him a nasty look before calling out, "Hermione!" She then shoved her and Blaise back in the office, no doubt locking the door.

"Luna?" the woman asked as she turned around to find Draco Malfoy, standing there and staring at her, "_Malfoy_?"

"Granger?" he asked as if he _still_ couldn't believe it was her.

"Don't tell me…" she pointed to the office behind her new station, which another wizard and shown her to. He wordlessly nodded and she groaned as she dropped into the seat, lowering her head and staring down at the wood until a hand appeared next to her. She looked up and saw that he was leaning against her desk, smirking down at her.

"Looks like I'm your new boss, Granger," he said before disappearing into his office. There was _no way_ he'd scare this secretary away. Blaise _had_ asked nicely. It was only right that he obey his friend's wishes, even if it was the first time he'd ever done so.

"I don't think he'll have much lucky scaring Hermione away," Blaise whispered behind the closed door.

"Hermione wouldn't run off anyway. They're much more likely to kill each other," she whispered back as she straightened her skirt and turned to the door again.

"Better go prepare his epitaph then," Blaise muttered, "'_Draco Malfoy – Killed by a Bookworm. Everybody Rejoiced._'"


	2. Exactly As I Said

"_Malfoy_?" Ginny repeated as she leaned across the table, "You've got to work for _Malfoy_?"

Ron slammed his hands down on the table, leaning towards her as well, "You've _got_ to be joking. Please, please be joking."

"No," Harry said grimly as he strode towards his friends, who were waiting for him at an outside table in front of their favorite café, Ava's, "I heard it this morning when I got in to work. I could ask Kingsley if he could do something, Mione."

"No," she said, "I will _not_ give Malfoy the satisfaction of seeing me run away."

"But Hermione! It's _Draco Malfoy!_" Ginny exclaimed.

"Yes Ginny – we've been through that enough," Ron sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned back, "Mione, in case you've forgotten, this is the guy that made your life a living hell during Hogwarts. And you actually want to _work_ for him?"

"No. I want to teach him that Hermione Granger is _not_ a force to be reckoned with," she said confidently.

Harry and Ron glanced between each other before Harry finally sighed and banged his head on the table for a minute.

"Fine," Harry finally said, "But if he tries anything, you will call me. Promise?"

"Of course, Harry," Hermione smiled back, "Now, what's for lunch?"

* * *

><p>"Hermione Granger," Blaise started to laugh, "is your secretary. Oh yes – this office just got crazier."<p>

Draco looked up from his lunch and frowned at his friend, "Shove off."

"No, I mean, think about it. In school, you two were always at each other's throats. And now, you've got to cooperate," Blaise let out a chuckle, "I can't wait to see what happens next."

"She'll get tired of him and leave," Pansy shrugged as she rubbed her bulging tummy fondly as she felt her baby kick, "Might even punch him again."

Draco turned to glare at the pregnant woman, "Shut up, Parkinson, nobody asked you."

"Ah-ah-ah," Pansy sang, waving her left hand in front of his face, "Its Gardenia now!"

"And you forgot your ring today!" Draco sang back, making her pull back her hand and inspect it closely, only to find that she had forgotten her wedding ring again.

"Hey, we're lucky she remembered her shoes," Blaise grinned across the table.

"Shut up! It's mean to make fun of pregnant women you know!" she glared at the two before sniffing and pretending to tear up, "Y-you two d-don't like me, d-d-do you?"

"Pansy, you will not have mood swings for another week. _Drop the act_," Draco frowned.

She huffed, "Still, I'm in no condition to be throwing punches. At least, that's what my husband says."

"Yes, Jerry," Blaise raised his eyes to the ceiling as he brought his cup up to his mouth, "How is that adorable little parrot?"

Pansy glared at Blaise as Draco stifled a laugh, no doubt remembering the time they had accidentally turned Pansy's husband into a parakeet. She had been furious to find him in such a state, but it'd been blown over when Luna found the correct spell and changed him back. Although, the two Slytherins did tease him with "Jerry wanna cracker?" every now and again.

"Jerry is_ fine_," she pouted before turning to Draco, "You're still coming to my shower, right?"

"I guess," he sighed, "I don't want to suffer the wrath of the Pregnant Ninja."

"Darn right," she nodded smugly as she stood up to leave, "Bye Drakey! Bye Blaisey!"

The two muttered their good-byes as Draco stared at his food, tapping his fingertips onto the table rhythmically, remembering the day when Pansy Parkinson finally was no longer his problem to deal with.

"_What do you mean 'she can't marry him'?" Lucius Malfoy roared._

"_She can't marry him!" Robert Parkinson shot back, "She's hell-bent on marrying some gardener!"_

"_His name is Jerry Gardenia!" Pansy snapped at her father, "And I love him!"_

"_Is he pure-blood?" Lucius sneered. _

"_Yes," Pansy answered, "He's from America! He went to the Wizarding School there and he owns a wizard law firm in London!" _

"_Well, in that case," Draco stood up and turned to Pansy, shaking her hand, "Congratulations, good luck, __**really**__ glad I don't have to marry you – "_

"_Draco Malfoy," Narcissa frowned, "__**Please**__ act like your father and I taught you __**some**__ manners." _

"_Sorry Mother," Draco chuckled, glad that he was finally free of the terror that was Pansy, although why anybody would __**want**__ to marry her was beyond him. "Too good to resist."_

"_Well then," Marissa Parkinson sighed, "That's that then? Draco, you don't want to marry Pansy? Not even a little?"_

"_Nope!" Draco said brightly, "Never did!" _

_Pansy glared at him before kicking him in the knee, although it was lighter than the one she had given Blaise a few years back, "You prick!" _

"Draco, c'mon, we gotta get the Orson case done before midnight," Blaise said, 'thwack'ing him lightly with a newspaper. Draco nodded and stood up as well, smirking a little at the thought of torturing Granger a little.

* * *

><p>Luna smiled as she watched Hermione ignore Draco completely as he tried to get a rise out of her, the brunette resolutely working on her papers as the blonde tried everything he could think of to get her to snipe back. He finally gave up and stormed into his office, throwing Hermione into a fit of silent giggles.<p>

"Good job, Mione," Luna applauded, "You did exactly as I said!"

"Merlin, that was fun," Hermione finally said as she regained her breath, "Did you see his face when I just sat there? He looked like I killed his hamster or something!"

"What's a hamster and why did you kill it?" Blaise asked as he stood in the doorway to his office, looking at the woman a little warily now.

"You know what a hamster is and she didn't kill it," Luna smiled over at him.

"Alright," he inched over to the side of Luna's desk playfully, "So what's going on with you two? And why is Draco sulking in his office? The door's hardly ever closed unless he's sulking."

_All these years after Hogwarts, and he still hasn't changed_, Hermione thought before turning to Blaise, "He keeps trying to get me to ague with him, but I just ignore him. It's driving him up the wall!"

"Go Hermione!" Blaise cheered loudly before gasping and slapping his hands on his mouth, glancing around to find that only a few of his co-workers had turned around, then turning back to her and saying at a quieter volume, "Go Hermione!"

She giggled as Draco opened the door, looking out with an eyebrow arched at Blaise, "Have you checked your mail yet?"

"No, why?" Blaise asked as he handed off a few papers to Luna and then leaning back on her desk.

"Because, I've got your pile and you've got mine _again_," he said before Blaise cursed and ran back inside his office.

"Oh, right, Clarisse actually dropped of your pile earlier, while you guys were out to lunch," Luna said, handing off the papers to the blonde, "She acted disappointed to find that you two weren't here though. She's like a knuffle with a shneezle, always so clingy."

Hermione winced, seeing as she had nearly forgotten that Luna was a tad bit strange, which was an amazing feat considering that she'd spent nearly all day with the woman. But compared to the younger Luna, this one seemed much more normal, hardly talking about a "Crumpled Horned Snorkack" or whatever.

Draco hummed noncommittally and turned back into his office as he shuffled through his mail, this time leaving the door open.

"So, Hermione, how have you been since the war?" Luna asked brightly as she looked through a few papers.

"Oh, fine, I guess," Hermione shrugged, "I mean, Ron and I broke up, and then Harry proposed to Ginny, and Fred's gone…."

"Aww, I'm sorry to hear about you and Ron," she looked sympathetic, "I hope you don't mind me saying, but I never really saw you two together very long."

"Yeah…yeah, me neither," she sighed before smiling back at the blonde woman, "But we're still friends, it's like it never really happened. Oh, and Harry is officially Teddy's adoptive father, and as soon as they say 'I do', Ginny will be his mother."

"Oh that's wonderful! Ooh, next time you see Ginny, could you apologize for me for not keeping in touch? I've been so busy lately, with the Quibbler on the weekends and work and also trying to stay together with my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Hermione glanced over at Blaise's door, where he was madly searching for letters he didn't have, before looking back at her, "Well, that's great to hear, Luna!"

"Isn't it?" Luna sighed happily, "William's such a sweetheart."

"William?" she repeated as something crashed and Draco started to swear, "Malfoy, were you listening?"

"Yes," Draco muttered as he walked through the doorway, rubbing his head, "But anyway – Lovegood, you're _dating_ someone?"

"Yeah!" Luna said happily, "William Harding!"

"William Harding from the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department?" Draco blinked.

"Yeah!" Luna was practically bouncing in her seat, "You know him?"

"Err…yeah," Draco rubbed the back of his neck, mumbling something to himself, "Saw him once."

"Ooh – was he wearing that outrageous tie?" Luna suddenly frowned, "I hate that thing – I'm always threatening to burn it."

"Uhh – couldn't tell," he shrugged a little before touching his forehead, "Am I bleeding? The lamp attacked me."

"Oh yeah, sure, 'attacked'," Hermione snickered as she turned back to her papers, missing the glare she had received.

"Oh no, you big baby, you're fine," Luna rolled her eyes, "Don't you have to work on the Orson case?"

"Right!" Draco smacked his forehead and ran back into his office, just as Blaise walked out, his black hair sticking up in wild tufts.

"Draco, I don't have your bloody letters!" he said as he walked into his friend's office and slammed the door behind him.

"Mate, I got them," Draco held them up, "But are you aware that Lovegood's got a boyfriend?"

"William? Ugh, yeah," Blaise grumbled, "Met him once when he came to pick her up for a date."

"Are you aware that he's _cheating_ on her?"

"_What_?"

"I saw him snogging Kirsten one day!"

"Kirsten, Kirsten…Coffee Kirsten?"

"Yes!"

Blaise was silent for a moment before looking back up at his friend, grinning a little, "Really?"

"Don't get too upset now," Draco drawled as he twirled a pen around and leaned against his desk, "Really, you don't need to get into a depression or anything."

"But Draco, if her boyfriend's cheating on her – !"

"You are not to tell anyone!" Draco interrupted, "It might've been weeks before he got together with Luna!"

"But Dracooooo, think of meeeeee!" Blaise pouted, "Think of Blaise! Poor Blaise who has this huge crush on this poor girl who's dating a prick who's cheating on her!"

"_What_?" Hermione asked from the doorway, her mouth hanging open and her eyes getting big.

"Hermione!" Blaise yelped as Draco glared.

"Ever heard of knocking Granger?" he growled.

"I did, you didn't answer, anyway," she waved him off, "Please tell me that Blaise is crushing on someone who isn't Luna."

"Err…how would I know?" Draco asked.

"Uhh…she didn't hear any of that, did she?" Blaise asked nervously as he glanced between the two.

"No, she took off for lunch. Why?"

"Because, she can't know," Drac frowned.

"_What_? Are you _mental_? She's got to know!"

"I might not be right, Granger!"

"And what if you are? What if she finds out from somebody else? She'd be heartbroken!"

"Well…we don't want that, do we? So why would we tell her?" Blaise asked.

"_Because_ the faster she gets her heart broken, the faster she can get revenge!" she shook her head, "Honestly, have you any clue to what girls think of when they've been cheated on?"

"And how would you know?" Draco glowered.

Hermione froze and looked between him and Blaise before turning away from them and back to her desk, closing the door behind her.

"Ooh, Mate, you didn't know, did you?" Blaise muttered.

"What?"

"_Ron_ cheated on her. With Lavender Brown. It was in the paper a few months ago."

"So?"

"_So_, she didn't know until after he broke up with her whenever Lavender couldn't keep her mouth shut."

"And this concerns me…how?"

"Well, most girls get kinda moody when somebody brings up stuff like that."

Draco snorted, "Granger's a girl?"

Blaise glared back at him, "Look, I'm just telling you beforehand so you won't get a Bludger to the head the next time you step into a Quidditch stadium. The Weasleys kinda like her you know, and they've got two professional Quidditch players in the family."

Draco thought this over as Blaise walked out, going back to his own office to try to tame his hair. He soon decided that Granger's personal life was none of his business, as long as he wanted to step foot inside a Quidditch stadium without fearing for his life.


	3. Adorable, In a Sense

"I'm beautiful in my way, this God makes no mistakes, I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way!" Luna sang as she watched the clock. Hermione sighed as she drew on a scrap piece of paper, no doubt waiting for _somebody_ to announce that they could leave. They'd finished all of their work, and were now just waiting until the boys came out and said that they were done for the night.

"You know, time flies by faster when you're having fun," Luna commented, "And so far, this hour is going by dreadfully slow."

"Explains why there is no movement out there in the abyss," Hermione motioned to the darkened office space, "Please tell me this does not happen every night."

"Oh, no," Luna sighed, "Sometimes we leave at two in the afternoon, sometimes we leave at two in the morning. It varies."

"Wonderful," Hermione groaned as she looked at her watch, "Oh, poor Teddy, I promised him I'd stop by before I went home. He's probably in bed now."

And with that, she looked up when she heard a little laugh and was barely ready to catch the little body.

"Aunty Mione!" the little boy said happily.

"Teddy? Teddy, what are you doing here?" Hermione blinked as she looked at the little boy, who's hair was bright green and spiky at the moment.

"You didn't come visit me! So when Mummy and Daddy weren't looking I went into the Floo network!"

"You _what_?" she repeated, Luna joining in as Blaise stumbled out of his office, rubbing his eyes.

"Who what?" Blaise asked before looking at the little boy, "Err…hello?"

"Hi!" Teddy waved, "I'm Teddy Lupin! I'm four years old!"

"Hi, I'm Blaise Zabini, I'm twenty-two years old," Blaise smiled back, "Does your mum and dad know you're here?"

"Err…"

"Teddy Remus Lupin!" Hermione gasped as she bolted from her seat, the toddler in her arms, "We've got to get you home!"

"But I don't want to go home!" Teddy complained, "I want to stay here with you, Aunty Mione!"

"Teddy, your parents must be so worried!" Luna chided, "Oooh – Ginny and being worried. Not such a good combination."

"Why is there a midget in the office?" Draco interrupted as he rubbed a hand to his eye and glanced between the adults.

"I," Teddy puffed out his chest importantly, "Am _not_ a midget."

"Still, why are you here?" Draco asked.

"I wanted to see Aunty Mione!" Teddy beamed at him.

"So the Potters are here?" he asked, now looking at Hermione.

"No, that's just it," she started before Teddy cut her off.

"I came by myself!"

Draco's eyes bulged and his mouth dropped open, "You did _what?_ Do you know how _unsafe_ that is?"

"No," he said simply before hiding in Hermione's hair, making his own hair turn color and shape to match hers, "Aunty Mione, did I do something wrong?"

"Well, you see Teddy, you weren't supposed to go into the Floo by yourself. We could've lost you – and then what would we do?"

"Oh," Teddy hung his head before burying it into her neck, "I'm sorry, Aunty Mione, I just wanted to see you."

"It's alright Teddy, but for _Merlin's sake_, we have to get you home right n – "

"HERMIONE, I CAN'T FIND TEDDY ANYWHERE!" Harry bellowed as soon as the crack of apparation had announced him. His hair was twisted this way and that, his glasses askew and his shirt looking rumpled. He then blinked at the little form in her arms, hiding and attempting to be swallowed by her hair.

"Err…" she said into the silence, "I did. Ta-da! He must've tumbled into the Floo while you weren't looking. You know, I've read of cases like that. Thank goodness he popped up here instead of, say…a zoo?"

"Oh," Harry said dazedly as Teddy slowly came out from under her hair, "Teddy, is that true?"

"In a sense," he said simply.

The corner's of Harry's lips twinged up, "What does that mean?"

"I haven't read any cases at all…ever," he shrugged, "But I did tumble into the Floo."

"Sorta," Blaise mumbled behind his hand to his colleagues as he pretended to rub at his nose.

"C'mere, Tedster, Gin's going nuts," Harry said, opening his arms for his godson.

"D'aaah," he complained loudly, "Can't I stay with Hermione?"

"Hermione has work to do."

"Actually," Draco finally spoke, earning attention from Harry, "She is now free to go, just as the rest of us."

"Then why are you still here?" she frowned.

"This is much more entertaining," he admitted, leaning against Luna's desk and watching the exchange further.

She snorted and rolled her eyes before turning back to Harry and smiling, "Relax, I can handle him for tonight."

"And tomorrow morning?" Teddy asked hopefully, switching his eyes to the same color brown as hers.

"And tomorrow morning," she added.

"And tomorrow night?" he asked.

"Ha!" Harry laughed, "No. Tonight and tomorrow morning and that is _it._ And you'll be telling Ginny just how you happened to show up to Hermione's department at the Ministry." He playfully frowned at his best friend, who looked just as innocent as his godson.

"But, Harry," she blinked, "We really don't know!"

"It's one of life's great enemas," Teddy said wistfully as the others cringed at trying not to laugh.

"Enigma, sweetie," Hermione corrected, "Eh-nig-ma."

"Oh," he blinked before frowning, "Well, what does 'enema' mean?"

She cleared her throat, "It means that if you never ask that again or mention that word, I'll get you ice cream tomorrow."

"Deal!"

Harry laughed, "Well, have fun."

"Bye Harry!" Teddy, Hermione and Luna waved.

"I want cookie dough ice cream," Teddy told her as she bended sideways to grab her bag, "With whip cream."

"Of course, Love."

"Actually, I wouldn't mind that," Luna hummed as they walked out together, leaving Blaise and Draco to clean up.

"Oh, would you like to spend tomorrow morning with us, Luna?"

"Sure!"

Blaise watched them go and turned to Draco, grinning, "Awww."

Draco rolled his eyes, "What, Blaise?"

"Look at you," he grinned, "Letting her go instead of making her clean. You hero, you." He lightly punched his jaw.

"Well I wasn't about to have the kid around any longer than was needed," he insisted.

"Uh-huh," Blaise smirked, "And I'm a Crumpled Horned Snorkack."

"Well, you are looking a bit fat," he grinned back at his friend as he frowned.


End file.
